Nghiên cứu những hoạt động giao tiếp trong giờ dạy nói tiếng anh cho học sinh lớp 12 luận văn thạc sĩ khoa học giáo dục

ACCEPTANCE
I hereby state that I: Nguyễn Thị Thanh Nga, being a candidate for the degree
of Master accept requirements of the College related to the retention and use of
Master’s graduation Paper deposited in the library.
In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper
deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and
research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for
the care, loan or reproduction of the paper.
August, 2013
Signature
Nguyễn Thị Thanh Nga

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to acknowledge with all my greatest attitude the support,
guidance and invaluable critical feedback which I have received from my
supervisor, Assoc. Prof. Ngô Dinh Phuong.
My special thanks also go to all lectures and the staff of the Department of
Post Graduate Studies at Vinh University, Nghe An for their useful materials,
instructions and enthusiasm which are of great values to the thesis.
I am appreciative of all my colleagues and my students at NTT High School
where I have gathered information for my study. Without their help, this study
could not have been successful.
Last but not least, my sincere thanks are due to my dear family and my friends
who always stand for me with their consideration and encouragements.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACCEPTANCE.............................................................................................................
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT...........................................................................................
TABLE OF CONTENTS.............................................................................................
ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................
Chapter 1.......................................................................................................................
introduction..................................................................................................................
1.1. Rationale................................................................................................................
1.2. Objectives of the study..........................................................................................
1.3. Research questions................................................................................................
1.5. The organization of the study................................................................................
CHAPTER 2.................................................................................................................
LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................................................
2.1. The Communicative Language Teaching Method................................................
2.1.1. Definition of Communicative Language Teaching...........................................
2.1.2. Characteristics of Communicative Language Teaching..................................
2.1.3. Conclusion........................................................................................................
2.2. Speaking skill.......................................................................................................
2.2.1. Definitions of speaking....................................................................................
2.2.2. The characteristics of speaking........................................................................
2.2.3. The role of speaking in language teaching and learning.................................
2.2.4. Stages of a speaking lesson in communicative language teaching.................
2.2.4.1. The presentation phase..................................................................................
2.2.4.2. The practice phase.........................................................................................
2.2.4.3. The production phase....................................................................................
2.2.5.1. Principles for speaking techniques................................................................
2.2.5.2. The application of principles for speaking techniques at NTT high
school..........................................................................................................................
2.3. Communicative activities....................................................................................

2.3.1. Aims of communicative activities....................................................................
2.3.2. Kinds of classroom communicative activities in speaking lessons :...............
2.3.2.1. Communication activities for meaning and fluency.....................................
The way teacher and students use strip stories . For a simple example :....................................23

2.3.2.2. Free communication activities for meaning and fluency.............................
2.3.3. Roles of teachers and learners in applying communicative activities.............
2.3.3.1. Roles of teachers............................................................................................
2.3.3.2. Roles of students............................................................................................
2.3.4. Setting...............................................................................................................
2.3.5. Roles of communicative activities in language teaching and learning...........
We have good reasons for using pairwork in an English class :....................................................32
If 15 students speak in turn in a 30 minute class, that equals 2 minutes of speaking each- and
for shy students it might work out as just one minute of speaking or less. If students work in
pairs for the whole class, they could theoretically speak for as much as 15 minutes each, and
certainly no one could speak as little as 1 minute.......................................................................32

2.3.6. Requirements of communicative activities......................................................
CHAPTER 3...............................................................................................................
METHODOLOGY....................................................................................................
3.1. Aims.....................................................................................................................
3.2. Hypotheses...........................................................................................................
3.2.1. Materials...........................................................................................................
3.2.2. Teachers’ method.............................................................................................
3.2.3. Students’ motivation.........................................................................................
3.3 Methods................................................................................................................
3.3.1. Participants.......................................................................................................
3.3.1.1. Survey questionnaires....................................................................................
3.3.1.2 Interview for students.....................................................................................

3.3.1.3. Interview for teachers....................................................................................
3.3.2. Type of research...............................................................................................
3.3.3. Data collection instruments..............................................................................

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3.3.3.1. Two developed research instruments............................................................
3.3.3.2. Instrumental development.............................................................................
3.3.3.2.1. The questionnaire ’s design........................................................................
3.3.3.2.2. Justification for two data collection instruments.......................................
3.3.4. Descriptions......................................................................................................
3.3.4.1. Students..........................................................................................................
3.3.4.2. Teachers.........................................................................................................
3.3.5. Procedures of data collection...........................................................................
3.3.6. Methods and procedures of data analysis........................................................
CHAPTER 4...............................................................................................................
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS............................................................................
4.1. Result from survey questionnaires......................................................................
Table 4.1. Class size, gender and total years of learning English of students...........
Chart 4.1: The frequency of using speaking activities in Tieng Anh 12
textbook.......................................................................................................................
Chart 4.2: The attitude of students towards doing speaking activities in
textbook.......................................................................................................................
Table 4.2: The evaluation of the effectiveness of speaking activities in
textbook.......................................................................................................................
4.1.1. The frequency and interest of each kind of communicative activities in
speaking lesson...........................................................................................................
4.1.1.1. Information gap :..........................................................................................
Chart 4.3 : The frequency of using Information gap, given by students...................

Chart 4.4: The frequency of using Information gap , given by teachers...................
Chart 4.5: Interest in acting from Information gap, given by students.....................
4.1.1.2. Role play :......................................................................................................
Chart 4.6: The frequency of using role play, given by students................................
Chart 4.7 : The frequency of using role play , given by teachers..............................
Chart 4.8: The interest of using role play,given by students.....................................

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4.1.1.3. Discussion......................................................................................................
Chart 4.9: The frequency of using discussion in class,given by students.................
Chart 4.10: The frequency of using discussion in class, given by teachers..............
Chart 4.11 : Interest of the students in discussion.....................................................
4.1.2. Teachers’ difficulties in using communicative activities................................
Chart 4.12 : Teachers’ difficulties in using some communicative activities............
4.2. Findings and discussions.....................................................................................
4.3. Implications for teaching each kind of communicative activities......................
4.3.1. Information gaps...............................................................................................
4.3.2. Role play...........................................................................................................
4.3.3. Discussion.........................................................................................................
4.3.4. Quizzes..............................................................................................................
4.3.5. Simulation.........................................................................................................
CHAPTER 5...............................................................................................................
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................
5.1. Summary of the study..........................................................................................
5.2. Limitations of the study.......................................................................................
5.3. Suggestions for further study..............................................................................
REFERENCES...........................................................................................................

ABSTRACT

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Communicative activities are introduced widely all over the world and this is
not also a strange conception to teachers of English in Vietnam. Nevertheless, due
to teacher’s low proficiency, class size, facilities schedules, using it in class is not a
simple duty to the teachers.
The effectiveness of a lesson greatly depends on the activities the teachers use
in the classroom and the extent to which students are involved in those activities.
Especially, in speaking lesson, the understanding of whether students enjoy the
language activities and which ones can motivate them could help teachers in
choosing the right ones for their students. A survey is conducted among students of
NTT High school and data from the survey would be carefully analyzed to draw a
clear picture of communicative activities employed in speaking lesson.
The results from the questionnaire and textbook’s evaluation will provide the
researcher with a comprehensive understanding of the current situation of using
communicative activities to improve the 12th graders’ speaking skill in NTT High
School. In general, the students are not interested in doing speaking tasks that are
given in the textbooks. Also, they are not aware of whether these tasks are effective
for them or not. Nevertheless, they express their desire for some types of
communicative activities that they have opportunities to work with.
For the teachers, most of them admit that they often have difficulties in using
communicative activities to teach speaking skill for their 12th graders .
The study aims to serve as a useful source of reference for teachers, students
and those who concern about this subject matter.

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Chapter 1
introduction
1.1.

Rationale

English language has rapidly become an international language in our world.
It has been taught almost everywhere in Vietnam, especially in schools, colleges,
universities. It is seen as a means of access to scientific and technological
development, as the language for international communication. English is offered
as a compulsory subject in the curriculum as well as the

high school

examinations.
To meet the demand of learners of English, teachers of English in Vietnam
have been trying to find out the most suitable and effective method of teaching
English.They have always tried to catch up with the world’s latest frameworks of
English Language Teaching. As in other countries, teachers of English in Vietnam
are now using Communicative Approach to teach English to learners of all levels.
They hope to provide learners with a means of communication, namely English
which is vital for them to be successful in their job and to fulfill their social
demands in the time of globalization.
However, how to speak English well is a problem for many learners of
English, especially for the students at secondary or high schools. Although most of
the students have been learning English since they were 12 years old , they are
deficient in English speaking.
The textbook “Tieng Anh 12” has been published since 2008. It is one of the
three textbooks for upper secondary school students. There are 16 units in it. Each

Unit contains 5 periods : Listening ; Speaking ; Reading ; Writing and Language
Focus. They focus on students’ communication ability. The teachers of English at
NTT High School find it difficult to teach speaking successfully because of some
reasons such as the class size (each class has over 40 students), the students’ low
language level and living standards ... Communicative activities are carried out but
with little effectiveness.

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Therefore, it is really essential to know whether the communicative activities
have the good effects on teaching speaking skill to the 12th graders of NTT
( Nguyen Truong To ) High school. With the aim to access the method on teaching
speaking skill through the communicative activities, the writer would like to choose
the topic “A study on communicative activities in the 12th graders’ English
speaking classes” .Some former studies have mentioned this issue but it will be
deeply carried out in this paper.
1.2. Objectives of the study
According to the importance of the participation of the students in speaking
lessons, this study aims at studying on communicative activities in the 12th
graders’ English speaking classes in NTT High school.
These are the objectives of the study :
- To investigate the real situation of using communicative activities in
teaching and speaking skill for 12th graders at NTT High School, Hung Nguyen
District, Nghe An Province.
- To investigate how communicative activities are applied in speaking lessons
for the 12th graders at NTT High School.
- To suggest some appropriate class communicative activities to improve the
12th graders’ speaking skill.
1.3. Research questions

1.3.1. What is the real situation of teaching and learning speaking skill of the
12th graders at NTT High School, Hung Nguyen District, Nghe An Province ?
1.3.2. How are communicative activities applied in speaking lessons for the
12th graders at NTT High School ?
1.3.3. What are suggested class communicative activities to improve for the
12th graders’ speaking skill in NTT High School ?
1.4. Scope of the study
The study focuses on communicative activities in the 12th graders’ English
speaking classes at NTT High School, Hung Nguyen District, Nghe An Province.

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1.5. The organization of the study
The study contains four chapters:
Chapter 1: Introduction
This chapter presents the rationale, objectives , research questions,
scope and organization of the study.
Chapter 2: Literature review
This chapter introduces a historical overview of the literature. The first is
about CLT method . The next is about speaking skill. The final is about the review
of communicative activities.
Chapter 3: Methodology
To realize the aims of the study, quantitative and qualitative methods have
been used. The data collected for the study came from two sources: the 12 th graders
respondents and the teacher-respondents at NTT High School, Nghe An province.
Two questionnaires, one for students and the other for teachers, and
an interview of teachers are going to be used to collect information and evidence for
the study. All the comments, remarks, recommendations and conclusions provided
in the study are based on the data analysis.

The data takes from the survey questionnaire for students and teachers
is analyzed and categorized. The findings are used as the cornerstone for the
recommendations .
The researcher gives out some communicative activities adapted from the
tasks in Tieng Anh 12 textbook as samples for the secondary teachers to consider.
Additionally, this chapter will present the author’s suggestions on mentioned
problems and summarize all the main points raised in the paper, the limitations of
the study and some suggestions for further studies.
Chapter 4 : Findings and discussions
Chapter 5: Conclusion

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CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
Each study should have theories as its background. In my thesis, I base the
study on the theories which are the views of famous linguists and methodologists on
the concepts concerning language and methodology.
2.1. The Communicative Language Teaching Method
2.1.1. Definition of Communicative Language Teaching
The history of language teaching has shown a lot of changes in approaches
and methods. It reflects the recognition of changes in the kind of proficiency
learners need. It used to be aimed at enabling learners to read and appreciate class
of literature in teaching a second language . Therefore, any teacher who was able to
reach this aim was thought to be a good teacher .
The goal of most learners of English is to be able to communicate with others
in the language they learn. Methods of teaching have been changed in the aim of
learning English. For a long time, many language teaching methodologists have
constantly looked for the most appropriate way to teach English effectively. As a

result, many language teaching methods and approaches have come into being such
as:
• Grammar-translation method.
• The Direct method.
• The Audio-lingual method.
• The Audio-visual method.
• Communicative Language Teaching method.
Mackey (1965) remarks that most of the methods which have ever been
developed still continue to exist in one form or another as each method has its
advantages and disadvantages. For example, grammar-translation method is easy to
implement and cheap to administer, which makes it still be used in many classroom
situations.

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In this thesis, the author just focused on Communicative Language Teaching
(CLT) as it is considered one of the most effective approaches to teach learners to
communicate in a language they learnt. Accordingly, CLT has become popular and
has covered a lot of classroom practices.
CLT marks the beginning of a major innovation within language teaching. Its
principles are widely accepted nowadays. Some researchers have done work on
CLT developed their own ideas of CLT.
According to Richards and Rodgers (1986) CLT means little more than an
integration of grammatical and functional teaching. Littlewood (1981:1) has the
same view with Richards & Rodgers, he affirms that CLT “pays systematic
attention to functional as well as structural aspects of language”
In general, most researchers on CLT show that Communicative Language
Teaching is an approach to the teaching of second and foreign languages. This
method emphasizes interaction as both the means and the ultimate goal of learning a

language. It is also referred to as “Communicative approach to the teaching of
foreign languages” or simply the “Communicative Approach”. It places great
emphasis on helping students use the target language in a variety of contexts and
places great emphasis on learning language functions and helping learners create
meaning rather than helping them develop perfectly grammatical structures or
acquire native-like pronunciation.

Successfully learning a foreign language is

assessed in terms of how well learners have developed their communicative
competence, which can loosely be defined as their ability to apply knowledge of
both formal and sociolinguistic aspects of a language with adequate proficiency to
communicate.
2.1.2. Characteristics of Communicative Language Teaching
The theory of language in CLT shows that language is used for
communication. According to Richards & Rodgers (2001) ,CLT has following these
characteristics :
 Language is a system for the expression of meaning.

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 The primary function of language is to allow interaction and
communication
 The structure of language reflects its functional and communicative
uses
 The primary units of language are not merely its grammatical and
structural features, but categories of functional and communicative meaning
as exemplified in discourse.
The most familiar feature of CLT is learner-centeredness. Students in learnercentered approach are seen as being able to play more active and participatory role

than in traditional approaches. In other words, students are communicators; they
actively interact with each other in the classroom activities. They are free to decide
what and how they will say and correction of errors may be omitted. Furthermore,
students are made to feel secure and unthreatened. Therefore, students are eager to
take part in the lessons. Accordingly, the teacher is a facilitator of the learner’s
learning, a manager of classroom activities and a co-communicator to engage in the
activities with students.
These characteristics will be the principles for teachers to choose appropriate
techniques as well as activities in classroom to improve the student’s
communicative competence.
2.1.3. Conclusion
My thesis is about a study on communicative activities in the 12 th graders’
English speaking classes. CLT is the most suitable method to be applied because of
its characteristics.Moreover, CLT is considered the current dominant
methodology and one of the most effective approaches to teach learners to
speak in second language. All the mentioned reasons explain why I have
decided to choose CLT not any other method to teach speaking.

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2.2. Speaking skill
2.2.1. Definitions of speaking
The nature of speaking has been discussed by many scholars. Speaking plays a
vital role in the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), since it is the
step to identify who knows or does not know a language. According to Pattison
(1992), when people know or learn a language, they mean being able to speak the
language. Brown, G. and Yule, G. (1983) shows that spoken language consists of
short, fragmentary utterances in a range of pronunciation. There is often a great deal
of repetition and overlap between one speaker and another, and speakers usually use

non- specific references. They also point out that in speaking the loosely- organized
syntax, and non- specific words and phrases are used. Spoken language is,
therefore, made to feel less conceptually dense than written language.
Brown, G. and Yule, G. (1983) point out that the ability to give uninterrupted
oral presentation is rather different from interacting with one or more other speakers
for transactional and international purposes. It is much more difficult to
extemporize on a given subject to a group of listeners. That explains why speaking
skills generally have to be learnt and practiced carefully before giving a
presentation.
Bygate, M. ( 1987) presents that it is obviously necessary to have microlinguistic skills, that is, to understand some grammar, vocabulary and the rules
governing how words are put together to form sentences. However, these motorperceptive skills, as Bygate, M. calls them, are not sufficient since while producing
sentences, we often have to adapt them to the circumstances. He then shows the
second set of speaking skills: the interaction skills, which involve using knowledge
and basic motor- perception skills in deciding what to say and how to say it, while
maintaining the intended relation with others.
2.2.2. The characteristics of speaking
According to Bygate, M. (1985), in almost speaking, the person to whom we
are speaking is in front of us and able to put us right if we make mistakes. They can

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generally show agreement and understanding or incomprehension and disagreement
as well. Speakers are not the same to readers or writers, they may need patience and
imagination, too. They need to take notice of the others and allow listeners chance
to speak while talking. So that, we often take turns to speak.
Bygate (1987) specifies that conversation can be analyzed in terms of
routines, which are conventional ways of presenting information.
In his opinion, there are two kinds of routines : information routines and
interaction ones.

There are two sub- routines in Information routines.They are

expository and evaluation. The former is description, narration, comparison and
instruction. The latter is explanation, prediction, justification, preference and
decision.
Interaction routines based not so much on sequences of kinds of terms
occurring in typical kinds of interactions. Therefore, these can be characterized in
broad terms including the kinds of turns typically occurring in given situations and
the order.

Telephone conversation, interview conversations casual encounters,

conversations at parties, lessons, radio or television interviews, all tend to be
organized in characteristic ways.
In short, the learners in learning speaking skills can be much more confident
with clear understanding and governing these skills. Moreover, the oral skill
depends much on knowledge of language they can learn such as grammar,
pronunciation and vocabulary.
Furthermore, learners depend on common conventional expression of
communicating specific meanings, particularly on the language environment.
Practice in classroom might not be similar to oral communication outside
classroom. In a foreign language classroom, practice is rather simple and far from
real life.
It is clear that speaking is a key to communication, teachers can help learners
improve their speaking and overall oral competency by considering what good

13

speakers do, what speaking tasks can be used in class, and what specific needs
learners report.
2.2.3. The role of speaking in language teaching and learning
Speaking plays an important role among the four language skills since it helps
identify who knows or does not know a language. In second or foreign language, it
has often viewed as the most demanding of the four skills. Pattion, P (1992) shows
that when people mention knowing or learning a language, they mean being able to
speak the language.
Most of us speak more than we write in our daily lives. According to Wilkin
(1979; cited in Nabiar 1985), speaking when compared with writing is the essential
form of language and writing is ranked second after it and derived from it.
“It is the vehicle of social solidarity, of social ranking, of professional
advancement and of business” -

Bygate (1987: 7) assumes about the role of

speaking.
Speaking is particularly useful for learning. In language teaching and
learning, this skill is a medium through which much language is learnt. According
to Kayi (2006) , communicative abilities in a second language contributes clearly
and efficiently to the success of the learners in school and social environment.
Ur, P.( 1996) shows that people who know a language are referred to as “
speakers” of that language as if speaking included all other kinds of knowing.
Therefore, speaking is regarded as the first step to confirm who knows or does not
know a language.
In Nunan’s viewpoint about language learners: “mastering the art of speaking
is the single most important aspect of learning a second language or foreign
language, and success is measured in term of ability to carry out a conversation in
the language” (Nunan,1991: 39), we can infer that speaking is a very important skill
among the four basic ones. Language teachers should pay more attention to

teaching speaking skills. It is necessary for learners to speak with confidence to
carry out many of the most basic transactions.

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2.2.4. Stages of a speaking lesson in communicative language teaching
According to Byrne (1991:23- 24), there are three phases to develop learners’
oral ability: The presentation phase, The practice phase and The production phase.
2.2.4.1. The presentation phase
We focus on teachers and students in this first phase. Teachers work as
information providers as they know English, select teaching materials and the ways
to present the materials. Students usually observe and listen to the teachers. Oral
materials are written mainly in

dialogues and prose. These two forms need

presenting in different ways. Teachers play a centre role in learning and teaching
process.
There are ten different steps according to Byrne, D. (1991 : 23-24) :
1. Establish setting by using pictures. At this step, English is used as much as
possible.
2. Draw out learners’ experience related to situation.
3. Explain some key words.
4. Set the listening task by asking key information of the dialogue
5. Ask learners to listen without looking at the dialogue.
6. Allow learners to have a look at their book when necessary.
7. Ask learners to listen and repeat.
8. Ask learners to pick up difficulties and explain them.
9. Ask them to practice ( role- play)

10.

Ask them to dramatize the dialogue.

It can be infered that they are perfectly and logically arranged. They depend
on the learners’ English competence.We need not present all these things in a
dialogue. Byrne (1991:26) suggests that teachers should use the following nine
steps:
1.

Introduce the topic by asking learners to look at the pictures or asking

them about related things.
2.

Introduce the text. New words and structures are given.

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3.

Provide relevant practice.

4.

Set the reading task: make questions.

5.

Ask the learners to read the passage in silence and find the answers.

6.

Ask learners to read again aloud and ask for the answer.

7.

Explain difficulties they still have.

8.

Do silent reading again because learners need to go on with step nine.

9.

Get the learners to talk about what they have to learn based on the

previous answers.
To increase the learners’ motivation, these steps should also be used suitably.
2.2.4.2. The practice phase
In this phase, learners do most of talking when they are provided maximum
amount of practice in the form of controlled and guided activities to improve
vocabulary, grammar knowledge and fluency of speaking. They answer the
teacher’s guided questions and discuss with their partners to find new ideas related
to the topic.
2.2.4.3. The production phase
In this phase, learners have chances to speak English freely. They use English
by themselves in a real situation creatively. They can develop their own ideas and
their friends’. They can work in pairs or groups naturally. They themselves take part

in speaking activities independently from the teachers. This is the effectiveness of
speaking stage.
In short, to improve speaking ability for learners in the process of teaching
speaking, teachers should follow these phases orderly. Before carrying out the
practical application, teachers also should consider the time, the target learners’
level and the material used, etc…
2.2.5.1. Principles for speaking techniques
When we designed speaking techniques appropriately, they can give more
opportunities for learners to speak accurately and fluently. Teachers need

16


techniques to teach speaking. Brown (1994) suggests below principles for
them.
- Techniques should cover learners' needs : accuracy, interaction, meaning
and fluency.
Teachers sometimes try to stress content-based interactive activities and
ignore grammatical pointers or pronunciation. They should make sure that
classroom tasks include techniques to help learners to perceive and use the building
blocks of language and make drillings as meaningful as possible to avoid
boring learners with lifeless, repetitious drillings.
-Techniques should be intrinsically motivating:
Teachers should try to appeal to learners' ultimate aims and interests, to
their need for knowledge .Teachers should give the reasons

why they

organize those activities, too.
-Techniques should encourage the use of authentic language in

meaningful contexts:
The use of authentic language in meaningful contexts can help learners
acquire language necessary for future use and also help motivate learners.
-Provide appropriate feedback and correction:
Learners are totally dependent on teachers for useful linguistic feedback.
It is important that teachers take advantage of their knowledge of English to
produce the kinds of corrective feedback that are appropriate at the moment.
-Capitalize on the natural link between speaking and listening:
Skills in producing language often began through comprehension.
Because many interactive techniques that involve speaking also include
listening, they should be integrated and they can reinforce each other.
-Allow learners to initiate language parts of oral communication
competence :
This is the ability to initiate conversation, to nominate topics, to ask
questions, to control conversations and to change the subject.

17


- Encourage the development of speaking strategies:
To practise their personal strategies for accomplishing oral
communicative purposes is an important chance for students. Therefore,
teachers should make the classroom the place for learners .
2.2.5.2. The application of principles for speaking techniques at NTT high
school
NTT high school is located in Hung Trung Commune, Hung Nguyen District
Nghe An Province which is a rural region. The school has much more difficulties
than others.
Method of teaching has creatively changed during recent years. We have
applied above principles during speaking classes. Communicative activities have

been adapted to encourage students to practise speaking. Students are always eager
to take part in tasks beacause they know the aims. Some presents and good marks
are given to them. This step is very important and effective.
In Tieng Anh 12 text book, most tasks in speaking lessons are planned and
adapted by teachers depending on these principles. Four skills are intergrated in
each lesson. Suitable topics and teenage hobbies are chosen. Teachers take
advantage of students’ knowledge of English to produce the kinds of
corrective feedback that are appropriate at the situation. Students have
chances to practise freely.
In short, speaking principles are carried out in every lesson in NTT
High school and they truely bring effectiveness to both teachers and students.
Students’ speaking skill is improved day by day is the goal of each lesson.
2.3. Communicative activities
2.3.1. Aims of communicative activities
Communicative activities are those that give learners both the desire to
communicate and a purpose which involves them in a varied use of the target
language. Such activities are vital in a language class since the learners can do their

18


best to use the language as individuals, arriving at a degree of language autonomy.
According to Littlewood (1981), communicative activities contain these aims :
• Communicative activities provide ‘whole-task practice’
In foreign language learning, our means for providing learners with wholetask practice in the classroom is through various kinds of communicative
activities, structured in order to suit the learners’ level of ability.
•

Communicative activities improve motivation

The learners’ ultimate objective is to take part in communication with others.
Their motivation to learn is to be sustained if they can see how their classroom
learning is related to this objective and helps them to achieve it with increasing
success.
•

Communicative activities allow natural learning
Language takes place inside the learners and, as teachers know

their

frustration, many aspects of it are beyond their pedagogical control. It is likely, in
fact, that many aspects of language can take place only through natural processes,
which operate when a person is involved in using the language for
communication. If this is so, communicative activity (inside or outside the
classroom) is an important part of the total learning process.
•

Communicative activities can create a context which supports

learning Communicative activity provides opportunities for positive personal
relationship to develop among learners and between learners and teacher. These
relationships can help to ‘humanize’ the classroom, and to create an environment
that supports the individual in his effort to learn. Oral communicative activities
apply the same purposes, as communicative activities are operated mainly through
oral communication.
2.3.2. Kinds of classroom communicative activities in speaking lessons :
Many researchers discuss classroom activities and a lot of activities are
designed based on the theory and characteristics of CLT.

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Richards -and Rodgers (1986:165) assume that the range of exercise types
and activities with a communicative approach is unlimited, provided that such
exercises and activities enable learners to attain the communicative objectives
of the curriculum, engage learners in communication and require the use of
such communicative processes as information sharing, negotiation of meaning,
and interaction.
2.3.2.1. Communication activities for meaning and fluency.
To help learners achieve some degree of communicative efficiency
competence, Klippel (1984), Doff (1988) and Harmer (1998) plan out a lot of
communicative activities and games.
Most popular controlled communicative ones are :
+ Guessing games :
A guessing game is a game in which the object is to guess some kind of
information, such as a word, a phrase, a title, or the location of an object.
Many of the games are played co-operatively. In some games some
player(s) know the answer, but cannot tell the other(s), instead they must
help them to guess it.
+ Describing and drawing games :
In this game, you ask your partner about any of the words you do not
understand and ask them to explain in English. Or you choose one of the things
available and draw it until your partner guesses. You can use numbers and symbols
but no letters or words. You choose one of the things and explain its appearance
without mentioning its materials, colour or function so that your partner can draw it
and work out what it is. It might help if you draw it first somewhere your partner
can not see and then describe that drawing to them. Things you might want to
mention:
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Shape

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Size

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(Usual) direction

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-

Positions

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Pattern

+ Discussion games with materials, pieces or slips of paper with
provided information, stories, advertisements, and so on .
+ Ranking Exercises :
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Each student works on his own and writes down his ranking.

These lists are then compared and discussed in pairs, in small groups or

with the whole class. Maybe group needs to defend their list to the class.
- Or when each student has finished his list, the students sit down
together in small groups and try to agree on a common listing which has to
be presented and defended in a final general discussion.
- Or groups of increasing size (two members, then four, then eight)
discuss their rankings and aim for an agreed ranking at each stage.
- Or with more advanced classes, make them come up with own lists which are then ranked in pairs or groups.
- Also, you can use a roving ambassador. Each group decides on a
ranking. When decisions have been made, get a member from each group to
visit another group to report their findings and possibly give ideas to the
group they are with. The roving students then report back to their original
groups who can make changes to their decisions, if they want
+ Story telling :
Storytelling is good for students. Storytelling develops their imagination. It
also develops powers of description. It teaches them to "hold an audience", so
people listen to them.
Storytelling helps students to appreciate others and themselves. They discover
hidden talents of their own. They gain more confidence and self esteem.
Storytelling helps them gain empathy for creatures and people. They learn truly to
value and enjoy the Natural World. They learn facts and words in an enjoyable way.

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Storytelling makes students laugh and teaches them to make others laugh, or
feel emotions. It helps them feel part of a group. The group can plan other projects,
like outings or visits. Storytelling can improve you lifestyle.
Stories can be very long or very short, or something in between. Sometimes
the short ones are the best. A long story should never be boring.Then it stops being
a story.

Because of limited time, teachers can give students a cartoon or set
of pictures which shows a story or sequence of events, have the student
tell the story then.
+ Mime Stories :
When one thinks of mime, typically one thinks of a performer dressed in
black and white who acts without words. Sometimes words can help to guide the
movement that occurs on stage. Story Mime is a form of mime that takes
advantage of words as a map for the performer and the audience. This often
overlooked form of mime is a wonderful resource for performing and learning
mime!
Story Mime integrates words and mime together to tell a story. Many stories
can use mime and movement to effectively create and enhance the images of the
tale.
You could share this tale of suspense entirely with storytelling or actually
entirely with mime. You can also combine mime and storytelling. There are many
possibilities of how to combine mime and storytelling, even for this short excerpt.
Remember that mime can capture emotions at very deep and meaningful levels. It
is with our actions that we often convey our deepest feelings. Storytelling can
convey the images surrounding the story and mime can further develop these
powerful images visually within the audience's mind.
+ Information Gaps :

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An information gap activity is an activity where learners are missing
the information they need to complete a task and need to talk to each other to
find it.
+ Picture Description :
Teacher provides an interesting picture for the class or each

group of students and ask them questions about it.
+ Chain recording :
Teacher can begin a story and ask the students, one at a time, to
add creatively to it. Record what each says on cassette tape.
+ Strip stories :
The way teacher and students use strip stories . For a simple example :
- Teacher explains to the students what is involved in sequencing a strip
story and elicits from the students the language they need to negotiate .
- Teacher rewrites a known story or account.
- Teacher places each sentence of the story on a strip of card or paper.
- Teacher mixes the strips and distribute them to the students.
- Each student reads out their strip and the whole class/group then
discusses and works out how the strips should be assembled to form the
correct sequence of the story.
This can be varied by asking the students to memorise the sentences on their
strips and then telling their sentences to the rest of the group. The students must
now re-arrange themselves, rather than the strips, to reassemble the story or
account.
+ Interviews :
An interview is a two-way street : Ask and answer questions. In class, there
are activities happening among teachers and students. The interviewer is the one
who gives the questions to the interviewees. The interviewee is the one who gives
the answers. The

partners must be in turn in the role of interviewers or

interviewees. The questions are ussually prepared by the teachers or the students

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